How to Make SAP Planned Delivery Time Follow Workdays, Not Calendar Days 

Stop losing accuracy in your supply chain planning, here’s how to fix it.

Can Planned Delivery Time Be Based on Workdays in SAP?

If you're managing material planning in SAP and wondering whether it's possible to base Planned Delivery Time (PDT) on workdays instead of calendar days, the short answer is: SAP calculates PDT in calendar days by default. However, there is a strategic workaround using the factory calendar to help align your delivery planning more realistically with operational working schedules.

Why It Matters (More Than You Think)

Picture this: You’ve got a vendor shipping something on Friday. SAP adds 3 calendar days for planned delivery. That lands you on Monday, but in reality, nothing moved over the weekend. Now your GR date is misaligned, your inventory planning’s off, and downstream processes suffer.

The problem? SAP doesn’t natively account for weekends when calculating PDT. The solution? Use factory calendars to force SAP to think in workdays.

Step-by-Step: How to Configure Workday-Based Planned Delivery Time

Let’s walk through the fix. It’s not obvious, but it works—and once you set it, you’ll never go back.

Step 1: Define Your Factory Calendar

Path: SPRO → SAP Reference IMG → General Settings → Maintain Calendar

Create or edit a calendar that reflects your actual working schedule. Exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. Save it with a clear, recognizable ID (e.g., “Z1_WORKDAYS”).

Step 2: Assign That Calendar to Your Plant

Path: SPRO → Enterprise Structure → Definition → Logistics - General → Define, Copy, Delete, Check Plant

Choose your plant. In the “Factory Calendar” field, assign the calendar you created above.

Now, that plant officially follows your defined working schedule.

The Big Question: Does This Actually Make PDT Use Workdays?

Here’s the catch and it’s important:

Planned Delivery Time is still calculated in calendar days by default. Even if your plant uses a factory calendar, SAP won’t magically switch PDT to workdays.

But all is not lost. You can still control other timing elements with precision:

  • GR Processing Time does respect the factory calendar.
  • Scheduling & MRP can be influenced through advanced settings or enhancements.

Smart Workarounds (Trusted by Real SAP Teams)

Let’s look at a few proven tactics from the trenches:

1. Manual Adjustment

If most of your deliveries skip weekends, consider subtracting 2 days from PDT to compensate. Not ideal, but better than misalignment.

2. Custom Enhancement

Use a user-exit or BAdI to recalculate PDT based on working days. Your ABAP team can hook into delivery time logic and respect the factory calendar.

3. Use GR Time Strategically

Keep PDT in calendar days but let GR time absorb weekend gaps using the factory calendar. This hybrid model works great for teams who accept weekend shipping but only process goods on weekdays.

Real-World Example

A logistics team in a manufacturing company faced the same problem. Deliveries were arriving on paper over the weekend, but warehouse staff only received them on Mondays. Their fix?
  • Set the PDT to 5 calendar days
  • Assigned a factory calendar to the plant
  • Added 2 GR processing days to account for weekend lag
Result? Their planning aligned perfectly with reality, without changing how the vendor operated.

Final Thoughts: What You Can and Can’t Control in SAP

  • Can influence: 
    • GR processing time (respects factory calendar)
    • MRP scheduling logic (with enhancements)
    • Date alignment via factory calendar assignment
  • Can’t natively control: 
    • Planned Delivery Time - it’s always in calendar days unless customized

Bonus Tip

If you’re doing cross-plant planning or dealing with international suppliers, consider setting up region-specific factory calendars. This keeps holidays and weekends aligned with actual working conditions per location.

Recap

SAP’s planned delivery time uses calendar days by default. You can’t switch it to workdays natively, but by configuring the factory calendar, adjusting GR time, and using custom logic if needed, you can achieve delivery planning that reflects real business workflows, without hacks or manual rework.

See also
Outline Agreement

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